Honoring Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, we remember those who have died honorably serving the United States military. While we have become accustomed to celebrating this holiday with BBQs, shopping and sales, and spending time with our families, it is important to always remember the significance of the day. So we offer our sincere "thank you" to all those who serve!

Enjoy this sneak peek of a beautifully red, white and blue Santa Barbara wedding - we'll post the full wedding later this week!

Antigua Invitation Suite

Perfect for a tropical beach or Miami wedding, these letterpressed square invitations use sage green and chocolate brown to invite your guests to your tropical paradise wedding!

The invitation is printed on ivory cardstock and the envelope is made of kraft paper for a truly natural look! We love the square style and the tie top envelope is an extra unique touch!

The calligraphy style is Citadel in chocolate brown ink.
Photography by Steve Steinhardt.

Share Your Wedding!

Want to see your beautiful wedding, shower or other party featured on A Lucky Orchid Wedding? Simply include your Laura Hooper Calligraphy pieces on your "must-have" shot list for your photographer and send us the pics after your wedding...and you may see your big day online!

This photo was recently shared with us by a bride so excited to have received her calligraphed envelopes - and we think she is quite on top of things to have already completed her DIY table signs!

Calligraphy style is Massy in navy ink.

Tips: Envelope Layout

In addition to deciding the design and lettering you want to use for your invitations and envelopes, you also have a choice of envelope layout - "centered" and "staggered" - and zip code format "normal," "drop" and "staggered". Clients often ask us the difference, and we thought photos would show it best!

Be sure to indicate your layout of choice whenever ordering calligraphy for envelopes!

*content originally published June '08

Creative Tip: Envelope Liners

A wonderful way to add some extra "pizzazz" to your invitation set is to include envelope liners. They are a fun detail to tie in an element of your choosing from the invitations.

As you can see, the liners add a little something extra and can add new colors or emphasize an icon that you love!

Tips: Using Vintage Stamps

Using vintage stamps can be a great way to personalize your invitations. They can reflect the theme of your wedding, the personality of the person receiving the invitation, or just be completely random! The process of aquiring, sorting and applying vintage stamps, though, can be quite time consuming. So before you dive into this extra wedding project, here are a few tips to consider.

1. Many vintage stamps are sold above face value, but you can also find some sold at their face value. It is important that you decide if you want to purchase only face value stamps or if you are willing to spend a little extra to get the "perfect" stamps.

2. You definitely want to start searching for your stamps in advance. Often your wedding planner can help you with this, but if you are on your own, it could take a while to accumulate enough stamps - remember a lot of vintage stamps are smaller values and wedding invitations generally run from $0.61 to over $1 each to mail! That's a lot of stamps! One way to avoid using excessive amounts of stamps on your invitations is to use one $0.44 to take up a large portion of the necessary postage...if your invitations cost over $1 to mail, this still leaves you with plenty of postage to fill with smaller denominations.

3. Ebay and Etsy are both good sources for vintage stamps. You can simply search for "vintage stamps," but be sure that you only purchase "unused" stamps. Collectors will sometimes sell and/or buy used or cancelled stamps because they may still have some value even though they are no longer in mint condition. Etsy seller Verde Studio specifically has tons of vintage stamps and can help make the process a lot easier by organizing your stamps for you.

4. Make sure you designate some time to separate the stamps into sets of your necessary postage. This can be very easy to do if you have many of the same stamps. While it's nice to give certain people a stamp that may be meaningful for them (an airplane to the pilot in the family, books to an avid reader, etc), it's much easier to figure out what stamps make your necessary combination of postage and create multiple piles of that stamp combo. Remember, you can always and and "extra" person stamp if you think someone would appreciate it. And as always, you should take one completed invitation to the post office and have it weighed to ensure that your invitations aren't returned to you.

5. The last step, which is often overlooked in terms of budgeting the proper amount of time, is adhering your stamps to your invitations. A lot of your vintage stamps will not be self adhesive - a modern luxury that we often overlook! You will need to be prepared to either lick many, many stamps...or you can use a glue stick to simplifiy this step.

All stamps featured on this post are available from Verde Studio. Good luck!

Tips: Addressing Your Envelopes

You've found the perfect invitations - now you just need to address the envelopes!

One of our most frequently asked questions is how to properly address envelopes. The following guidelines give examples from the most common situations, but keep in mind that these are formal guidelines. Many couples are less formal in their approach to addressing, using first names on inner envelopes or no titles on engagement or shower envelopes.

Our suggestion is that you address your guests' names the way you feel most comfortable. At Laura Hooper Calligraphy, we address the envelopes exactly as our clients submit their lists, so you should always be sure that you are aware of the policy of your calligrapher. If you have questions, ask before submitting your list - this will help cut back on time consuming re-dos!

Outer Envelopes

• Use full names, including the first names. Example: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jackson
• Initials should not be used for middle names; spell them out or leave them out! However, if a guest never uses his/her given name, do not use it on their invitation; in this instance, an initial is acceptable.
• Adults living in the same household who are not romantically involved, should each receive their own invitation.
• If you know who the addressee is bringing as a guest, include his/her name on the outer envelope.
• Children and "Guest" escorts should not be included on the outer envelope, unless you are not having inner envelopes (If you do not have inner envelopes, it's perfectly acceptable to include "and guest," guest's names, and children's names on the outer envelope).
• Write out the words "Street," "Boulevard," "Avenue," "Road," etc.
• Do not use symbols. Spell out the word "and".
• Use figures only when writing house numbers and zip codes. Example: 225 Third Street
• Spell out state names - California, not CA 

Inner Envelopes

• Exclude the first names of the guests. Example: Mr. and Mrs. Jackson 
• Write the first names of children to be invited below the parents’ names in age order.
• Children over the age of 18 should receive their own invitation, even if they are still living at home.
• Omit names of children if you are planning an adult-only celebration.  
• If an invitation to a single guest extends to an unknown escort, address the inner envelope with your friend's name followed by "and Guest." Example Miss Jones and Guest 

For more information and situations, including informal addressing etiquette, please visit our website and do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific questions.

Floral Invitation Suite

We are so pleased to share this extra personal set - my sister Alyssa's wedding invitation suite!

I wanted to create something that truly fit with Alyssa's personality and set the overall theme and feeling for the wedding. The floral design paired with our Manhattan script created an elegant look and the block-font introduced the Western charm of the entire wedding celebration. We also used blind letterpress to add an extra element of design.

For the main invitation, we stuck with just one color, grey, letterpressed onto the ivory cardstock. We brought in the deep blue for the accommodations card, map and directions page, and reply card.

All of the pieces were held together with a delicate lace band and we tied the suite up with a small piece of twine{to later be tied in throughout the wedding pieces!}. The lace was used to line the envlopes as well!

We addressed each envelope with the same Manhattan script and the bride and groom used vintage postage stamps hand selected for each guest!

The map was then used on tote bags given to each guest upon check-in at his or her hotel!

To see the letterpress process in action, and the letterpress plates that created this suite, check out Alyssa's bride to be post on Beth Helmstetter's blog from last July.

We can't wait to share the full wedding details very soon!

Photos by Steve Steinhardt.

Beach Chic Invitation Suites

Here in Southern California and also along the East Coast, coastal events are quite common. Many couples choose to either get married on the beach itself, or at restaurants and hotels lining the beach. The sunny weather allows for these beach inspired weddings for about 9 months (or more!) out of the year.

In addition, destination weddings have become very popular as well, allowing couples and their nearest and dearest to travel all over the world for these important celebrations.

Here we share some examples of our beach themed invitation suites. This first set includes a monogrammed starfish which is also featured on the custom stamp! It also makes use of our custom map design and trifold invitation to layout the events for the wedding weekend.

This second set uses cool blues and maintains a simple pallette with a more realistic starfish design.

The magenta seashell suite mixes the pink calligraphy and images with the black writing throughout the suite. It's a perfect combination. 

Finally, this beautifully letterpressed suite includes a cartoon-like image of a starfish and ties in the blue of the ocean through the envelope liner. The natural color envelope combined with the rest of the design creates the ultimate "beach chic" invitation suite.

Please visit our Etsy site for more details. All sets can be made in a variety of color and paper options. Flat print, thermography or letterpress. Photography by Steve Steinhardt.

Real Wedding: San Ysidro Ranch, CA

The location of this wedding is simply stunning and photographer Jose Villa truly captured all of its amazing glory - along with the beautiful couple wedded that day!

We were fortunate to be able to calligraph the envelopes for this fete - which coordinated perfectly with their Urbanic Paper Boutique invitation set!

We also created a "Just Married" sign that hung beautifully on their classic getaway car!

You can see more details on this gorgeous wedding on Style Me Pretty.

Tips: Using Vintage Stamps

Many couples like the idea of choosing and using vintage stamps for their wedding invitations. It can be a fun way to personalize your invitations, which are, afterall, the first impression that your guests will have of your wedding! But before you take the plunge, here are a few tips to consider.

1. Many vintage stamps are sold above face value, but you can also find vintage stamps at their face value. It is important that you decide if you want to purchase only face value stamps or if you are willing to spend a little extra to get the "perfect" stamps.

2. You definitely want to start searching for your stamps in advance. Often your wedding planner can help you with this, but if you are on your own, it could take a while to accumulate enough stamps - remember a lot of vintage stamps are smaller values and wedding invitations generally run from $0.61 to over $1 each to mail! That's a lot of stamps!

3. Ebay is a good source for vintage stamps. You can simply search for "vintage stamps," but be sure that you only purchase "unused" stamps. Collectors will sometimes sell and/or buy used or cancelled stamps because they may still have some value even though they are no longer in mint condition. You can also check your local coin shops because they often stock vintage stamps as well.

4. Make sure you designate some time to separate the stamps into sets of your necessary postage. As always, you should take one completed invitation to the post office and have it weighed to ensure that your invitations aren't returned to you. If your envelopes require $1.05 each (the current rate for oversized envelopes with invitations held together by ribbon, adding a slight bulge), you will need to come up with stamps equaling approximately that amount. This is of course easier with less invitations and would be quite time consuming with over 100 invitations.

5. Also allocate a good amount of time to adhere your stamps on the invitations. A lot of your vintage stamps will not be self adhesive - a modern luxury that we often overlook! You will need to be prepared to either lick many, many stamps...or you can use a glue stick to adhere your stamps.

All stamps featured on this post are available from Verde Studio. Happy stamp hunting!

Zazzle Stamps - On Sale Now

We've recently shown you many of our custom stamps available and Zazzle, and we are happy to report that Zazzle is now having a sale of 25% off Zazzle Stamps!

Use promo code WELUVINVITES at checkout to secure your deal on these custom stamps perfect for weddings, birthdays, showers, anniversaries, baby announcements - anything! You can purchase your stamps for various postage amounts as well as three different sizes to suit your various envelopes.

Custom stamps can truly tie together an entire suite - just like this one we did for my sister's engagement party back in January (yes, we've shown you these, but I still love them!).

Visit our Zazzle store to find these love bird stamps and others...and don't forget to use code WELUVINVITES for 25% off!

Autumn Garden Invitation Suite

This version of our Autumn Garden invitation is printed on aqua shimmer paper in brown ink. The set includes the invitation, a map with directions on the reverse and an RSVP postcard. All three pieces were held together with a brown belly band lettterpressed with their monogram in ivory. The chocolate brown envelope also had an ivory liner with the coordinating floral design.

The bird on the RSVP card is holding a little envelope in his mouth - such a sweet touch! The reverse side of the postcard had the floral design printed as well.

Calligraphy is Allegro.
Photography by MiBelle.